Marie Argante and the Exiled of Avalon
by elessargreystone
Summary: Marie Argante has had a wonderful childhood, despite being an orphan. As she starts Beauxbatons she looks for answers to her many questions: Who were her biological parents? Why were they killed? Where did the Little People disappear to? What is the Wild Hunt and why are they searching for Beauxbatons? (All Original Characters)
1. Chapter 1 - Prologue

On a lonely road winding through the countryside, a man was walking, the dirty slush remaining from the recent snowstorm splashing with each step. His dark coat swept around his ankles with each gust of wind, and a shiver crept up his spine as exhaustion, cold and hunger took their toll on him. Before long he couldn't take it anymore.

He needed to keep the darkness at bay.

'I know I shouldn't do this, but...'

"LUMOS!"

A bright light lit the tip of his wand, illuminating the black and white scenery surrounding him. He felt reassured in his island of light, yet flinched every time a bird took flight until he arrived at his destination.

It was a large property hidden deep in the woods,only accessible from a single dirt path. The gate was old, forged from steel, with spikes protruding from the top. There was a golden bell attached to the nearby wooden fence, which he rang three times, hoping it would be enough to wake the young coupl. He opened the gate with a loud creaking sound, walked up to the door and waited for the door to open. When it finally did, he repeated the speech he had been rehearsing in his head all day.

"I am sorry to disturb you at this ungodly hour, Mr. Argante. I was hoping you could...well...help her."

He then showed the bundle of clothes in his arms to the young couple watching him suspiciously from the doorway.

"May I come in?"

(o) Marie Argante (o)

Two hours later, he left the small house, a weight lifted off his shoulders as he knew the first part of his promise was fulfilled.

Marie was safe, and she would grow up loved and cared for.

But despite this success, he couldn't help but feel another weight settling on his mind. But for now, he would enjoy the scenery as he watched the sun rise over the French countryside.

And for an instant, he thought that in the end, everything would be alright. That the evil he had witnessed for the past few days was an exception to the this day was untainted by the one he had just left behind. And that somehow, two wrongs could finally make a right. That sacrificing two lives to save only one would ensure that this one would be good. That the baby could grow up without a care in the world, without a sword hanging above her head.

(o) Marie Argante (o)

"Hello, am I speaking to the admissions department of the University of Paris 12?"

"Yes you are. How can I help you?"

"I heard that your university was rather advanced in the field of biology, especially genetics. Is this correct?"

"Yes, we have a research team on genetics. Would you be interested?"

"Yes I would. I just graduated, and I think your university is exactly what I'm searching for."

"Very well. If you have your diploma, it should be a walk in the park. I just need your name, mister..."

"Oh uh...Yves. Yves Montellier."

(o) Marie Argante (o)

On this day she is born,

A day old and already alone...

Queen she is, by the Will of the Exiled One or by her own...

Two crowns will rest upon her head...

One will be of oak, and the other of marble,

And by her word the fate of three Kingdoms shall be changed.

Union, destruction or separation,

By the word of the Queen...

By the word of the Queen that never ruled...

A.C. to M.A.

(?) Orphan born on 31st January 1996 and (?) Exiled One


	2. Chapter 2 - Growing Up

Chapter 2: Growing up

The scorching heat this summer had been unyielding for the last few weeks, and it seemed that it would never end. Relief could only be found under the shadow of the thickest leaves, in the deeper parts of the forest, where Marie was currently lying down. This time of the year had apparently been some kind of signal to the many furry, feathery and even scaly inhabitants of the forest, making it bustle with the noises of ruffled leaves, running paws and loud chirps.

At the moment, the young girl was truly glad that the usually quiet woods were so full of life, as it took her mind off the thought that would not leave her alone

'My parents aren't my parents.'

She had been repeating this disturbing thought to herself over and over and it didn't make any more sense now that she had repeated it for the umpteenth time. She tried saying it, just to be sure it wouldn't change anything.

"My parents aren't my parents."

It didn't help at all. In fact, she was pretty sure it was even worse. The whole affair was very confusing to her...On the one hand, her parents were saying that they were, in fact, not her parents. And on the other hand, they reassured her many times by saying the exact opposite: "You're still our daughter, and we will always be your parents. Never forget that."

All in all, it had been a strange week. New thoughts and feelings had sprung up in her heart, and she had no idea how to deal with them as she had never encountered them before.

That's why for the last couple of days, she had been eagerly seeking isolation and shade, which she gained easily as soon as she passed through the hole in the fence, behind the summer-lilac.

Marie tried relaxing, breathing slowly and closing her eyes, but she quickly found herself unable to. The lack of action caused her mind to go back to her worry, again and again, despite her relentless attempts at not thinking of anything. Giving up, she stood up and started walking deeper into the forest, her hands buried in her pockets and her brow furrowing as her mood darkened even more. Easily climbable trees had no appeal to her, as well as murky ponds and sunny clearings.

She groaned at her own lack of enthusiasm, and kicked away a log in anger, wincing at the pain. Then she noticed a weird noise.

It started as a grunt, and was quickly followed by the thundering noise of hooves striking the earth. Marie quickly turned to see whatever it was charging at her, only to freeze when she faced the humongous form of a wild boar closing in on her. All at once, her entire body tensed, instinctively bracing for the impact, the same instinct that brought something out of her. With this monstrosity bearing down on her, she felt something flaring out of her, like a stream pouring from her chest.

With wide eyes, she stared in front of her as the beast flew away from her, hit by a force akin to a powerful wind, scattering the leaves all around her. The boar quickly regained its bearings, only to turn around and flee, its head alert, searching for the predator that had just thrown it around so easily. Marie watched it flee, her fear already gone, quickly replaced by confusion. A confusion she felt the need to voice aloud, to once again see how it fared when the words left her mind to reach her ears on their own.

"That's not how the wind is supposed to work, is it?"

She pondered it for a long time, unmoving from her spot, carefully carving the sight of the leafless ground in front of her in her mind, before finally reaching her conclusion.

"It was magic."

Her posture relaxed, having reached a reasonable explanation for the strange occurrence finally relieving her of her doubts. It took her a few seconds more before her statement reached the rest of her mind.

"I can use MAGIC!"

It felt strange that a single short sentence could make her so happy that all the business with her parents not being her parents anymore suddenly seemed a lot less depressing, a lot less important. After all, now she could do magic.

When she finally got back to her home after running at breakneck speed, she was red in the face with leaves in her hair, and her smile still hadn't left her face. She ran through the house to reach her father's study , barely taking the time to take her dirty trainers off before stepping on the carpet. She didn't even stop to check if her father was working, and immediately began telling him the greatest news in the history of the Universe according to Marie Argante.

"Daddy, I can do MAGIC!"

She was bouncing on her feet, clapping and talking at the same time, endlessly repeating the news to her father. She didn't stop until her father cut her off, dropping a hand on her shoulder and trying to calm his daughter.

"What makes you say that Sweetie?"

The momentary calm disappeared as quickly as it had appeared and she launched into a full report of her encounter with the boar. Her father listened unfazed until the end, only stopping her for a short time when a sliver of fear crept back as she narrated the terror that had paralyzed her when she had first seen the beast.

"Don't worry Sweetie, it's normal what happened to you. See, fear is like a fire in your veins. It helps you when you are in danger; it makes you act quicker, run faster or jump higher. But sometimes, like today, when you're really really afraid, fear turns to panic, and the fire becomes wild. That's why you shouldn't be afraid of your fear. It will help you when you need it. You just need to never let it run wild."

Reassured, she continued on to the interesting part of the story, recounting the sudden force of wind and the strewn leaves, showing her usual joy and enthusiasm that had been dimmed by their discussion a few days before. Her father hesitated to bring up the matter, but he knew that now that his daughter knew that she could do magic, she wouldn't rest until she knew all about it.

"Sweetie..."

"Yes Daddy?" she answered brightly.

"You are a witch."

She looked oddly at her father's face, before laughing at his expense.

"Well, of course I am since I can do magic Daddy!" Marie stated with the unshakable certainty of a child.

"No, Marie, what I'm saying is...We knew you could do magic..." At the expression of pain and betrayal in his daughter's expression, Claude hurriedly added, "But we planned to tell you! We just wanted to let you come to terms with the fact that we are not your biological parents before telling you their story. But I guess there's not much point in waiting now. So...Marie. I need you to listen very carefully."

The pain and feeling of betrayal still hadn't fully disappeared, but they had nonetheless greatly diminished. She sat down next to him, and looked up expectantly.

"A few days after you were born, a friend of your biological parents left you in our care because evil people wanted to hurt you. That's why we were waiting for you to grow up before we told you about you being a witch, like your biological mother. But in a few years, someone will come to accompany you to a school where you will learn magic."

"When? When can I go!?"

He smiled at her, and felt relief at the outcome of the day's events.

"When you turn eleven."

Marie squealed and hugged her father with all of her strength.

From then on, Marie set out to learn and discover everything she could about magics of all shapes and kinds. Her room became filled with books in all shapes and sizes, their subjects varying from voodoo practitioners and traditions to the Chronicles of Narnia. However, Celtic mythology and creatures dominated her bookshelves. She had become interested in the topic when she had learned that the forest that began behind their garden was a magical one. The instant her parents brought her to the heart of the forest to visit Merlin's grave, Celtic magic became her absolute favourite subject. For a time, she even became fearful of her beloved forest, fearful of what could lurk in the shadows of the thick bushes. This fear drove her to learn how she could protect herself from the Little People and their subtle tricks, and she was never again seen outside of her house without salt and iron. After finally working up the courage to walk under the shade of Brocéliande, she quickly forgot her earlier apprehensions, and often escaped from her parents' surveillance to look for elves, korrigans and fairies. Her favorite spot was a small river, not far from her home, where she regularly went to look for a stone pierced in its center by erosion. Such stones were rumored to enable humans to see the Little People even when they desired not to be seen.

She visited the river time and time again as seasons then years passed, until one fateful day, on the 21st of June 2006. She had finally found one, right in front of a part of the river that housed a small island covered in trees. The moment she felt the smooth rock under her grasp, she held it with all her strength. As she got it out of the water, she immediately looked through the hole, not at all expecting to find anything. She found him nonetheless.


	3. Chapter 3 - A Chance Meeting

Following her instincts, Marie took a step back. However, her curiosity quickly overcame her fear as she carefully observed him.

The skin of his hands was of a dark-brown colour that reminded her of a tree's bark. However, the rest of his complexion was pale, making him look like he was carved out of ivory. His handsome face was framed by brown hair that fell down his shoulder in a long braid, making his striking green eyes stand out even more. He was dressed in a dark brown tunic similar to the colour of his hands. It was embroidered with elaborate green designs and left open, leaving his torso bare. In his left hand he held a primitive looking spear, and on his left arm a dark snake was coiled. From his head, a pair of gigantic antlers were sprouting.

His hoarse voice seemed as though it hadn't used for a very long time.

"Greetings, Child."

"Greetings, Elder." Marie answered, smiling cheekily, knowing that she was perfectly safe as the Yn Sleih Veggey weren't authorized to walk through running water. The Elder rose from his resting place, unraveling his tall, thin frame and peering down at Marie with an amused smile adorning his lips.

"What is your name, Child?"

The absurdity of the question made Marie ponder on it, her eyes blinking owlishly as they bore into his.

"Do you really think that I would fall for such an obvious trick? Giving you my name? Why don't you give me yours, Elder?"

His eyes widened in surprise, before a small laugh escaped his mouth, his mirth apparent.

"I had assumed that traditions had been forgotten. Please, do forgive me, Child. False names will suffice then. You can call me Cairn, Child. What shall I call you?

-Marie. Marie will do. Nice to meet you, Cairn.

-Nice to meet you as well, Marie. Tell me, how old are you?"

She barked a laugh, and said: "As old as my tongue, and older than my teeth." Their banter continued for a few minutes, neither of them falling for any of the traps the other laid.

"Why don't you join my side, Marie? The water must feel awfully cold.

-I don't think so, Cairn. I can recognize a cage when I see one, and I'm not foolish enough to enter yours without protection."

Cairn's laugh echoed under the canopy for a long time as Marie made her way back home, her stone held tightly against her heart.

She often came back to him, trading tales, until one autumn day when a slip-up on her part led surprisingly, not to disaster, but to an incredible chance.

"...And as they spoke the word that never should have been said, the flying castle came tumbling down, burying the selfish prince with the castle's secrets he so desired. After bidding farewell to the pirates, the princess and her brave companion left never to come back aboard their flying ship." Marie ended her story, bowing down with a flourish. Cairn answered it by nodding his head slowly.

"Congratulations, Marie. This story is without a doubt, the best you have ever shared with me."

He paused, and after a few seconds, his content expression changed to one of disgust.

"However, their magic has left a sour taste in my mouth. Using words...I always favored druids and shamans, among all the magic-users. They never needed any words to call upon Magic."

The flow of the conversation made Marie forget her caution for a second, and she voiced her thoughts out loud.

"I wonder if the magic I will learn will use words...Learning Celtic magic sure would be nice…"

When she lifted her head, Cairn's large smile sent a shiver down her spine as she realised her carelessness, but before she could flee…

"Would you allow me to teach it to you?" Cairn said, as Marie looked at him fearfully.

"In exchange for what?" Marie answered, as she knew that a member of the Little People would never help a human being out of generosity.

"I would very much like to own a lock of your hair." Marie didn't take much time in making her decision, as her thirst for knowledge won in a heartbeat.

"In exchange for a lock of my hair, you will teach me how to talk to Magic without words."

"Yes."

"We have a deal then. I will bring it to you soon." She said, before going back home. She came back to him on the morrow, and as soon as she had given him her hair, he began teaching her.

"First, you need to call upon the attention of one of the Domains. To be a druid means to have the favour of Nature's Domain. There are others, but they are not to be trusted. To call Nature, you first need to listen, to feel with all your senses. Feel the earth under your feet, hear the rustling of the leaves in your ears, smell the rich aroma of the forest. Imbue your mind with all of them, and call for its attention."

Marie eagerly followed Cairn's instructions, and relished in the feeling of the forest around her, a sensation she was accustomed to since she had often sought peace in Brocéliande. Despite her excitement at practicing magic for the first time, a peaceful feeling overcame her and her mind cleared from thoughts. She stayed in this state for a great length of time, waiting for the sign that she had gained the attention of Nature. Eventually, a subtle change passed through the forest, leaving peculiarities in its wake. A bird chirping in a different tone, a fox daring to approach Marie despite its usual carefulness towards humans, water droplets falling despite the lack of rain for the past days. Despite the subtlety of these signs, Marie managed to pick up on them thanks to her knowledge of this forest that she considered a second home of sorts. The instant she focused on these changes, a great calm came down on the forest. All at once the wind died down, the fox returned to its burrow, the birds flew to their nests as quietly as they could. The silence hung in the air until Cairn's voice broke it.

"Well done. Well done indeed, Marie. You have already exceeded my expectations. Few manage to get to this point as swiftly as you. Now, did you bring the needle as I asked you to?

Rather than answering, she nodded and got it out of her bag, holding it carefully.

"Perfect. Now...Choose one of the oak saplings around you and kneel in front of it carefully."

Marie complied, and kneeled in the dirt with a knot in her throat because despite her excitement, she couldn't help but fear that this was a trick of Cairn's. She knew that the word of a member of the Yn Sleih Veggey was unbreakable lest they wish to call upon themselves great harm, but they were also known for their trickery. However, the opportunity of finally learning to master her gift was too great to pass up, so she gritted her teeth and tried to forget about all the terrifying fates that had befallen those that were tricked by the most powerful of the Little People. Cairn certainly was very powerful since he had been trapped in such a failproof cage.

"You are almost finished, Marie. You need but prick your finger with your needle, and let the blood flow on the young tree. However, you cannot close the wound immediately. You need to let it flow for Nature to acknowledge you."

Without looking at him, she followed his instructions and blood slowly began oozing from her wound. It was not fast enough nor in enough quantity for it to form a drop, leading to her needing to push the blood to the tip of her finger, finally forming a droplet that fell onto the sapling that she had chosen. At once, the sound came back to the forest, as if a switch had been flipped. However, Marie was too fascinated by what was happening to the sapling to notice. The very instant her blood came in contact with the small leaves, a swirl of red, blue and golden lights began to swirl around the oak, stretching upwards. It was soon followed by the tree itself that suddenly grew to tower over her, reaching a height of 4 meters and sprouting a foliage of a vibrant green that lost its colour and fell as quickly as it had appeared.

Marie stayed still in surprise for a time, but finally managed to gather enough courage to touch what she felt was her tree. She felt no warmth from its touch, but a certain...Kinship. An absolute certainty that loneliness was but an illusion, a shadow that darkened perceptions. Reassured, she sat down between two of its roots, as if in a pair of protective arms. The feeling of safety she received from it was the same as when her mother held her. She lost track of time, enjoying her link to what she now thought of as a long lost brother, until a (son sec) resounded. She turned towards the island from where the sound came, and had trouble believing what she was seeing. Cairn had embedded the tip of his spear in the earth, and was clutching at it, fury shining in his eyes. Marie had trouble believing what she saw to be the truth because for as long as she had known Cairn, not once had he seemed to feel anything but amusement or a light anger, barely more than annoyance. She devised that he would prefer that she wouldn't see him in this state, thus she decided to wrap up and head home rather than risk his ire.

That night, strange pained howlings could be heard coming from the heart of Brocéliande. Marie couldn't help but be worried about Cairn, who despite belonging to the Yn Sleih Veggey, she saw as a friend of sorts. Or at least, someone whom she would rather know wasn't in such a pain as he seemed to be suffering.

It had been a very long time since he had felt this angry. In fact, he couldn't remember feeling this bad since the first decade after his imprisonment on this island. For the first time in centuries, he howled, raved and growled like a caged beast, even trying twice to cross the river, achieving nothing but getting burned by the running water. His wrath receded as the night continued. However, what reassured him the most was the certainty that nothing was yet lost. He had time, and he prided himself in having quite the silver-tongue. He was certain that he would be able to convince her to join the Island. However, the realisation that Marie might never come back to him because of his outburst quickly crushed the faint hope he had managed to find in himself. His fear of never seeing the young girl was baseless however, as she came back to him the very next day, looking sheepish nonetheless. She sat down on the bank of the river, nervously shuffling her satchel, took a deep breath to gather her confidence, and spoke.

"So...What's my next lesson?"

She wasn't sure what his usual reaction would have been, but she was certain that it would have his usual exuberance. A full blown laugh, a terrifying rant or a mighty roar. However, her expectations were thwarted when all that changed was a small smile that adorned his lips, and a relaxation of his features. When he spoke, his voice was soft, almost tender, and it scared her how much this didn't sound like him. She listened nonetheless.

"Now that you have presented yourself to Nature, making Pacts with it will be significantly easier. Nature recognizes you as one of its own, and will always listen to what you have to say. In your hour of need, you need but promise to help Nature for it to help you in return.

"But...How can I help it? I mean, it's not like watering a plant will really help it that much, will it?"

This time, Cairn did laugh, but it wasn't his usual one. Where he used to laugh uproariously, he now laughed softly, more for himself than for others.

"Do not forget your Gift, Marie. I assure you that your power can be of great help to Nature. With it you will be able to protect and nourish all of its children in its name."

For the rest of Autumn and the first month of winter, Marie learned under Cairn's tutelage how to help Nature's children to grow firm and strong. With time, her teacher reverted to his usual behavior, trying his usual tricks, and asking her again and again to join the Island. She settled into this routine, until with February, came a letter. A letter brought by a teacher.


End file.
